Gray orders sweeping government spending freeze

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has ordered a sweeping freeze in city spending on contractual services, supplies and other areas not related to salaries to rein in a projected $70 million in overspending. The order, obtained by The Washington Examiner, exempts the D.C. Council, public charter schools and more than two dozen other agencies that operate outside the mayor’s control. The order applies to D.C. schools and the police and fire departments.